A joint project between the United States and India, NISAR will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual L-band and S-band frequencies. The satellite is designed to observe complex processes including ecosystem disturbances, ice-sheet dynamics, and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides. Data collected from NISAR will reveal information about the evolution and state of the Earth&#8217;s crust, climate change, and aid future resource and hazard management.

Astro Aerospace will use its AstroMesh deployable mesh reflector, designed to be ultra-lightweight and extremely stiff, for NISAR&#8217;s 12-meter aperture antenna. The program award follows the successful deployment and spin up of JPL&#8217;s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite, launched Jan. 31, for which Astro supplied the 6-meter antenna.